1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a medical-technical system workstation for open or minimally invasive surgery of the type having a patient support mechanism and at least one medical device from the group of cold light source, RF device, video device or ultrasound device, with at least one applicator connected to the medical device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a rule, system workstations of the above general type have a device cabinet for the acceptance of medical devices of the system workstation that is arranged at some distance from the patient support mechanism in order to give an operating team adequate movement and action space around the patient support mechanism for conducting surgical procedures. The medical devices of the system workstation are provided with applicators that, for example, are placed on a presentation unit arranged at the patient support mechanism and are available to a surgeon at the system workstation. The applicators are connected via connecting lines to the medical devices integrated in the device cabinet. It has proven to be a disadvantage that the usually long lengths of the connecting lines between the medical devices and the appertaining applicators, particularly between an RF device and an RF applicator, cold light source and cold light, video device and image pick-up unit and ultrasound device and ultrasound applicator produce problems with respect to line losses, noise levels and impedance discontinuities.
A system workstation disclosed in German Utility Model 92 18 373 wherein an RF device, a cold light source and a video device are arranged in a mobile device cabinet placed at the patient support mechanism in fact has short lines from devices to the appertaining applicators; the device cabinet, however, represents an impediment for the operating team working at the patient support mechanism during a surgical procedure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical-technical system workstation of the type initially described wherein the connecting lines between the medical devices of the system workstation and the appertaining applicators are optimally short and the arrangement of the medical devices of the system workstation does not represent any impediment for the personnel working at the system workstation.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in a medical-technical system workstation for open or minimally invasive surgery having a patient support mechanism and at least one medical device from the group of cold light source RF device, video device or ultrasound device, with at least one applicator connected to the medical device, and in the medical device is attached at the ceiling of a room containing the medical workstation, or in or at the patient support mechanism, or in or at a unit from the group anesthesia unit instrumentation table, and operating seat placed at the patient support mechanism. Inventively, devices of a system workstation such as cold light sources, RF devices, video devices or ultrasound devices, wherein problems with respect to line losses, noise level and impedance discontinuities can arise due to long lines between the devices and the appertaining applicators of the devices, are placed optimally close to the operating site, i.e. the patient support mechanism, so that the connecting lines between the devices and the appertaining applicators employed given surgical interventions are short. The problem of a lack of space around the patient support mechanism for the operating team composed of surgeons, anesthesiologists, operating room nurses and operating room attendance is taken into consideration by the invention with equipment arranged at the patient bearing mechanism, by attaching the medical device to the ceiling of the room containing the workstation, or in or at functional equipment of the system workstation that are already placed in the immediate proximity of the patient support mechanism for conducting a medical procedure. Such function equipment can be the patient support mechanism itself as well as anesthesia equipment, instrumentation tables or operating seats for the operating team. An advantage of the present invention is thus that no additional equipment such as, for example, a device cabinet for the acceptance of RF devices, cold light sources, video devices or ultrasound devices need be placed at the patient support mechanism that would restrict the movement and action space of the operating team. The various devices need not all be attached to a single unit but can also be attached to different units.
In one version of the invention the applicator is a cold light connected to the cold light source or a high-frequency scalpel connected to the RF device or a camera connected to the video device or an ultrasound applicator provided for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes that is connected to the ultrasound device. The cold light, the high-frequency scalpel, the camera as well as the ultrasound applicator are thus inventively connected via short lines to the appertaining devices, namely the cold light source, the RF devices, the video device and the ultrasound device, so that the risk of problems in the signal transmission as a consequence of line losses, noise levels or impedance discontinuities is reduced.
In another embodiment of the invention the workstation includes a connection unit having connectors for the applicators of the medical devices, with the medical devices being connected to the connection unit. The connection unit can have a number of connectors for cold lights, high-frequency applicators, cameras or ultrasound applicators that can be connected to the connectors with connecting lines. According to another version of the invention, the connection unit is arranged at an adjustable holder, so that the connection unit can be selectively aligned relative to the operating site, for example as desired by the operating surgeon. It is an advantageous that the path of the cables of the connecting lines of the applicators from the connection unit to the applicators is practically parallel, enabling a simple cable management.
In a further version of the invention the connection unit is a component of an operating lamp of the system workstation. In this way, the connection unit, given a surgical procedure, can be adjusted relative to the operating site in only one manipulation together with the operating lamp achieving, a synergistic effect.